The invention relates to a freight container, in particular for air transport, comprising a support frame structure which is arranged on a bottom or base plate and a covering which at least partially clads the support frame structure, wherein the side walls of the freight container are delimited upwardly by a respective top member and both top members project beyond a common edge of the base plate and are connected thereto each by at least two shaped members.
A freight container of that kind is to be found in DE-OS No 21 19 536. The side walls illustrated therein comprise two parallel vertical members which are connected by the top member; the outwardly projecting portion of the top member spans across a region of the side wall, which extends outside the base plate and which is bordered by frame members and which has an inclined edge, from the base plate to about the mid-height level of the side wall.
That form of freight container enables the container to be matched to the round or oval cross-section of an aircraft fuselage and is imperative for air freight containers.
It has been found that the above-discussed prior art construction suffers from the disadvantage that the rigid side frames frequently undergo deformation due to a thrust loading and in particular fracture phenomena occur outside the base plate, namely in the above-described additional region of the side wall. Another disadvantage is that freight containers of the above-described kind are comparatively high in weight, which is known to result in increased fuel consumption of aircraft.
Having regard to the foregoing considerations, the object set by the present inventor was that of so designing a freight container of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, that stability is enhanced, while substantially reducing the weight of the container, while in addition more advantageous storage and ease of assembly are achieved.